Maybe it’s the hormones. Or maybe it’s the result of returning to Instagram after a break.

 

But lately, social media is giving me the major ick. 

 

My business account is swamped with coaches telling me how to make a million dollars overnight. And my personal account has somehow become a magnet for every language learning ad that’s currently live on Meta. 

 

And almost ALL OF IT is using language that looks ~okay~ but feels a bit… weird.

 

At first, I figured I’d just had too much time away from the ‘gram. 

 

But earlier this week, I saw a phrase that *perfectly* captured what I’m seeing…

 

✨ Mean Girl Marketing ✨

Mean girl marketing is another form of sleazy advertising. It’s like bro marketing, only softer, more insidious and — if you ask me — WAY more threatening. 

 

And, like the greasy jock’s plastic girlfriend, she has maaany tricks up her sleeve. 

 

Sometimes, she’s straight up nasty. 

 

Think: Regina George. 

 

→ People often misunderstand your accent. 

 

→ Correct your bad pronunciation mistakes. 

 

→ Your face goes ketchup red with embarrassment every time you speak. 

 

Other times, her bitchiness is harder to spot. 

 

Like Cady Heron, the seemingly friendly, yet sneakily manipulative ‘girl next door.’

 

On the surface, she seems all sweetness and light. But really? She has an agenda, and she won’t stop at anything to get what she wants. 

 

Here are a few of her shady tactics:

 

 

It’s good to be an ‘expert’ in something. It’s less good to use it as *the* reason for joining a course. 

 

And yet, people do:

 

→ “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn with a Language Leader.”

→ “Students who follow my method improve 500x faster than students who don’t.”

 

Blegh. 

 

Expertise is important to demonstrate, but let’s be real: no one’s going to cry if they don’t buy your stuff, Gretchen. 

 

 

It’s a psychological fact that humans want to belong. We want to be part of something - and we hate missing out. 

 

Soooo, what better way to lure people into your group programme?

 

You’ll often see this tactic on pop-up forms:

 

 

 

 

Or worse — on sales pages for high-ticket offers that only the ‘chosen few’ get to join:

"You’re so close to joining the inner circle. Don’t miss this opportunity."

 

AKA fear-based marketing’s manipulative cousin.

 

It’s most effective when framed as friendly encouragement or concern that you won’t reach your goals. But it’s really about guilting you into feeling like you *should* take action, even when it doesn’t feel quite right.

 

→ “You could be fluent by now if you’d only started sooner.”

→ “Don’t you owe it to yourself to stop procrastinating?”

 

 

Introducing… the *ultimate* manipulation tactic. 

 

Smile gently, raise your eyebrows a fraction and say sweetly, but assertively:

 

→ “I’d hate for you to miss out on this incredible opportunity…”

→ "I’m just worried that if you wait, you’ll never see the results you deserve."

 

Works like magic. 

(In case it’s not obvious, I’m being sarcastic.)

 

Tactics like these have given marketing a bad reputation. And they’re so widespread that it can, at times, feel like you have to jump on the high-school bully bandwagon to see results.

 

 

At a time when students are becoming ever more suspicious of mean marketing practices, honesty and authenticity pays. 

 

So, all this is to say, although ‘best practices’ exist, nothing’s more effective at connecting with your people than by doing what feels right to you. 

 

After all, your copy is there for your people. And if you don’t feel good about something, chances are they won’t either. 

 

Stay safe out there.

 

Your anti-mean-marketing friend, 

Lauren x